Dead on Arrival
by kita 21
Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha grow up together as best friends, until Kagome's abusive father shows up and takes her away. Five years later, Kagome returns to their hometown to face an old life, and Inuyasha, but an unexpected surprise awaits her...
1. Stupid Hanyou!

Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha grow up together as best friends, until Kagome's abusive father shows up and takes her away. Five years later, Kagome returns to their hometown to face an old life, and Inuyasha, but an unexpected surprise awaits her...Rating just to be safe...  
  
Disclaimer: -waits for paycheck to arrive in the mail-..........-still waiting-... oh, that's right...I'm not getting paid for this...So don't sue me!!  
  
Whoo, my first fanfic. In other words, if it sucks, sorry!!  
  
For dandelion fluff...which, oddly enough, gave me the idea for this fic O.o  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter 1: Stupid hanyou!  
  
"Inuyasha!!! STOP!!!" Kagome yelled, kicking out with her back feet at Inuyasha.  
"C'mon, don't be such a five year old!" He retorted with his usual finesse, giving Kagome another hard push on the tire swing, resulting in another squeal from the black-haired girl.  
"Stop it!! You know I don't like to go-" Her complaint was cut off as the rope she had been swinging on snapped, and the tire went flying through the air. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she went flying towards the nearby pond, landing near the center with a loud splash and a wave of water that nearly reached Inuyasha, standing ten feet away.  
He winced as the high-pitched scream tore through his sensitive ears. He had bigger problems at the moment though. He knew for a fact that Kagome couldn't swim.  
"Inuyasha!!" She screamed again as she fought her way to the surface, arms and legs flailing in an effort to keep herself afloat. The tire had immediately sunk to the bottom, nearly taking her with it.  
With a sigh, the hanyou leaped into the water, and with several strong strokes, he was beside Kagome. "Relax," he said as he slipped an arm around her waist. "Hey-ow!" More than a little hysterical, Kagome kept on flailing away, kicking her rescuer several times in the process. "Will you calm down already? I've got you!" Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her more tightly around the waist and began swimming to shore, as she clung to him for dear life.  
When they reached the shore a few moments later, he pulled her out of the water, and she lay for a moment on the ground, gasping for air. When she finally got her breath, she opened her mouth to speak. Inuyasha, expecting a torrent of gratitude, or at least a thank you, was somewhat surprised when she said, "you...You IDIOT!! You could have killed me!"  
He just stared at her for a moment, open-mouthed. "Wait...How is this MY fault?"  
She sat up, glaring at him. "I told you not to push me so high, you stupid hanyou! If you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened!"  
"Why you little-I just saved your life, and this is the thanks I get?" He snorted and stormed off, grumbling under his breath. "Women..feh."  
Kagome stared after him for a moment, knowing she had overreacted a little bit...After all, he had saved her life...But he was just such an idiot sometimes! He knew she was petrified of heights, yet he insisted on pushing her just about high enough to break through the ozone layer. She sighed and stood up, wandering slowly towards her house. Maybe she should go and apologize...Nah, maybe later.

- - -  
  
Later that night, a dark haired figure could be seen creeping towards Inuyasha's house. Having done this many times before, Kagome didn't make a sound as she scaled the trellis and slipped in through an open window.  
She was just about to whisper Inuyasha's name to wake him, when she caught sight of him on the bed. She creeped closer for a better view, careful not to make a sound, lest she wake him. She'd never really seen him asleep before, not like this, at least. He looked so...content, almost, at peace. She smiled faintly at the relaxed expression on his face. Only asleep did he ever look truly happy, whereas when he was awake, he was usually glaring and grumbling about something or other, her more often than not.  
A mischievous look crossed her face as she reached closer to do something she had wanted to do for a long time...  
  
- - -  
  
haha, beware the cliffhanger...I'll bet it's not what you think though! I should have the next chapter up within a couple days...I have a math exam threatening my sanity though, so we'll see...


	2. Into the Darkness

Ha, took me even less time to get this up than I expected...heh...I still haven't touched the math...oh well! Hopefully this chapter will be a bit longer...  
  
Disclaimer: Notice that it isn't called authorfiction?  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter 2: Into the darkness  
  
"Hey! What are you doing?" Inuyasha cried, startled out of his sleep by Kagome.  
"Sorry, I couldn't resist..." She said with a sheepish grin. "I've been wanting to do that for years!" Despite her apology, she continued what she had been doing..."So soft..." She murmured.  
"Hey, nobody touches the ears, ok?" He pulled her hands away. "Why would you want to anyway?" His ears twitched.  
She giggled. Well, they're just so cute! And so soft and silky..." Ignoring his warning, she resumed rubbing his ears.  
He glared at her but didn't make another move to stop her. "What's up, anyway? You haven't climbed in through my window in months."  
She shrugged. "I guess I kind of wanted to apologize for this morning...I was just..." She trailed off, looking away.  
"What?" He demanded, confused.  
"Scared," she muttered under her breath.  
He blinked. The high and mighty Kagome, self-proclaimed queen of Japan, admitting that she had been scared? And rubbing his ears? She never touched him...And the way she had looked at him earlier, he could have sworn...Nah. Couldn't be. "Anyway," she said, glaring at him as if daring him to say something, "I'm sorry. You were right, you did save my life today...So thank you." She smiled faintly, then stood up and walked over to the window. She swung one leg over the ledge, then looked back at him. "Good night, Inuyasha," she said softly, and faded away into the night.  
He stared at the window for several minutes after, ears twitching. _Cute, eh?  
_  
- - -  
  
Inuyasha found Kagome the next morning, sitting under the tree which used to house the tire swing. He looked up at the frayed rope hanging from the largest branch and snorted softly. Scared as she may have been, the memory of her suddenly flying through the air was pretty funny.  
She glanced up at the sound, not looking particularly suprised to see him. They spent most of their time together, after all. They'd first met about six years ago, when Kagome's mother had moved to the small town on the outskirts of Kyoto. She'd been running...From the city, from Kagome's abusive father, from her entire past life. They had made a new life here, though, and Kagome had never been happier. She tended not to think of the past anymore...It was too painful. She preferred to live in the present, where everything was simple and content...Well, as simple as it got for a fifteen year old.  
Inuyasha sat down next to her, amber eyes trained on her face. Odd, she hadn't greeted him. It wasn't like Kagome to be so quiet.  
She looked up at him again a moment later as if sensing his thoughts, lifting a dandelion to her lips and blowing, some of the fluffy seeds brushing his face as the wind carried them away. She smiled. "Summer's coming."  
He blinked. This was defenitely not like Kagome. "Uhh, yeah...That usually happens around this time of year," he said, giving her a strange look.  
She looked up at him and laughed. "Yes, I suppose it does."  
There was another moment of silence, Kagome looking thoughtful, and Inuyasha very confused. _What the hell is up with her today?  
_ "Inuyasha...." Kagome said slowly, her eyes sliding upwards to meet his, chocolate brown melting into amber with the intensity of the moment.  
"...What?" He asked, surprised to find his voice contained the same tone as hers...quiet, soft almost. Weird.  
"Did you ever think about...You know...You and me?"  
He blinked. _What is she...doing?_ "Ummm....Well, what do you mean, you and me?"  
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Guys. Oblivious. Well, he'll never understand unless I show him what I mean...._ Her mind made up, though it went against her better judgement, she slowly leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his lips, barely a whisper of a touch.  
Scarlet crept across Inuyasha's cheeks, much to his dismay, as he looked down at her, eyes wide in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting that!  
He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as a high-pitched scream echoed across the meadow. Kagome's head snapped up. "That came from my house!" She cried and sprinted towards her house, Inuyasha at her heels.  
The scene that met them when they entered the house stopped Kagome's heart in her chest. "Mom!" She cried, and would have ran at the huge man who had just slapped her mother, had Inuyasha not grabbed her around the waist and held her back.  
He pulled her back out through the door, hoping that the man hadn't noticed them in his obvious drunkenness. Kagome collapsed into his chest, sobbing. "It's my father," she said between sobs. "He's back...And he's hurting her again...He's never done anything but hurt her, but she kept going back to him...Until..." She stopped, realizing what she was doing. She had never told anybody about her father before. She wasn't sure she wanted to.  
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, his voice cold and sharp as steel. "Did he ever lay a hand on you?"  
She didn't answer, burying her head in his chest, trying to calm down and catch her breath.  
He held her out at arm's length and looked at her. "Did he?"  
She averted her eyes. "Kagome," he said more softly.  
She blinked back fresh tears as the memories came flooding back. "He'd been doing it for years...My mother never knew...Until..." She trailed off, finally meeting his gaze, her eyes flooding with tears. "She caught him one day...He'd always been careful not to leave any mark, you see...Not any that were easily visible, anyway." She shook her head. "He was nothing if not cunning. That's why we moved...When my mother found out, she finally got the courage to leave him...But now..."  
"He's not going to hurt you anymore," he said, amber eyes flashing dark. "You or your mother. He won't get away with this."  
She sighed. "He always has...."  
"Well it stops today." She was surprised by the note in his voice, the look in his eyes. She'd never seen him so angry. "What are you going to do...?" She asked, worried.  
"Don't worry about me...You just stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, flashing her a reassuring smile before heading back into the house.  
Kagome sank to the ground against the siding, wrapping her arms around her knees and trying not to cry. If her father came back into their lives...She wasn't sure she could survive it a second time.  
She sprang to her feet at a howl from inside. "Inuyasha?" She said worriedly, peering around the door frame. Her eyes widened as she saw Inuyasha a foot off the ground, hanging by his neck in her father's iron grip. "No!" She screamed, all rational thought fleeing her mind as she ran towards him, grabbing a frying pan from the stove on her way. "Let him go!" She yelled, and slammed the frying pan over her father's head with all her strength.  
He stared at her for a moment, a dazed look in his eyes, then suddenly dropped Inuyasha to the floor. He landed with a sickening thump. Kagome was torn between dropping to her knees to tend to Inuyasha, and keeping her eyes on her father. Dazed or not, he was defenitely still dangerous. She knew what he was capable of...Oh god, how she knew. She shuddered at the memory.  
"Ka....gome..." Inuyasha murmered, half conscious. He had to protect her from this maniac...He was going to hurt her...His Kagome. No. Not if he stopped him.  
He propped himself up on his elbows, and with as much effort as his body could muster, he stood to face Kagome's father. "You bastard," he spat. "Get the hell away from Kagome."  
The man didn't respond, obviously thinking Inuyasha was no longer a threat, and he turned on Kagome. "Well well, what do we have here?" He leered at her, eyes roaming up and down her body. "You gew up nice, if you know what I mean," he said with a drunken chuckle, reaching out a hand towards her.  
She slapped it away, fire in her eyes. She may not have been able to defend herself when she had been eight years old, but she was not about to put up with this idiot anymore. He had hurt her and her mother enough. At this thought her eyes turned towards the corner of the kitchen for a split second, to where her mother was lying unconscious, blood trickling down her chin from a deep cut on her lip. Her hands clenched. She wasn't going to-  
In the split second her eyes had been in the other direction, her father had slammed her in the side of the head with his fist. The room went fuzzy as she sank to the floor. The last thing she saw was Inuyasha, his lips forming her name, though she couldn't hear his cry through the encroaching blackness. As her father slung her over his shoulder and moved out of the house, finally the pain faded, and everything went blissfully black.  
  
- - -  
  
well, I promised angst, didn't I? I aim to please :p next chapter might take a few days...if I don't get to that math tomorrow, I'll never get around to it -makes face- 


	3. Bruises

-sigh- I swear I'll get around to the math...Right after this chapter! XP  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha, and unless I win the lottery or sleep with the owner, I never will. -sigh-  
  
- - - Chapter 3: Bruises  
  
Kagome snarled up at her father as he sent her flying across the room and into the far wall with a flick of his wrist. "What are you going to do, old man?" She asked sarcastically. "Beat me, just like you did when I was five? Or what, are you going to try to rape me now? Since I grew up so 'nice' and all?" She laughed mockingly. "It's pretty damn bad when a forty year old man has to rape his own daughter just to get laid, isn't it?"  
He walked slowly closer, eyeing her as a predator eyed its next meal. Without warning he slapped her across the face with all his strength, his huge meaty hand making a loud smacking noise as it collided with her face. "You didn't used to be this lippy, either," he said with a derisive laugh. "Don't worry though...I'll have that beaten out of you in no time."  
She slowly turned to face him, her cheek bright red from the force of his blow, but her eyes still containing that fire. "That's because I'm not afraid of you anymore. Hurt me all you like, kill me even, it doesn't matter anymore. You can't hurt the people I love anymore, and that's all I care about."  
He snorted. "Love, sure. And how about that scruffy little half demon you've been keeping company with, d'you love him too?"  
Her dark brown eyes narrowed, turning almost black with barely contained rage. "Don't talk about Inuyasha," she said slowly, and with an edge to her voice that made the statement sound almost like a threat.  
He didn't reply for a moment, circling her slowly, still eyeing her like a wildcat eyeing a rabbit, as if he might pounce on her at any moment, tear her heart from her chest in a single motion, and then devour her with zest. She saw the way he was looking at her, though, and as she had stated, she wasn't afraid anymore. He could hurt her, oh god, how she remembered the pain he had caused her years before. And he could certainly kill her, with hardly more than a thought, if that was what he wished. But she found herself not caring anymore. He couldn't hurt her mother, and he couldn't hurt Inuyasha. As long as they were safe, she cared nothing for herself.  
"You're just like your mother, you know that?" He said after a moment, startling her out of her thoughts. "She had that spirit in her too, that fire that I see burning in your eyes right now. It won't last, though. Eventually I broke her, just as I'll break you. Unless, of course..." His eyes glinted. "You cooperate."  
She sneered at him. "Go to hell and wait until it freezes over, because that's the only time it's ever going to happen."  
Unable to hold in his anger any longer, he rushed at her, jabbing her hard in the side with his right fist, while simultaneously punching her in the side of the head with equal force using his left. She thought she heard the cracking of a rib before all sank into grateful darkness once again.  
  
- - -  
  
Kagome's father groaned from across the room, motioning towards her with one hand for her to pass him another beer. "Of course," she said, smiling sweetly, handing him one that was already opened.  
Watching him down the drink in two gulps, she sat back against the wall and waited. _It shouldn't take any more than a couple of minutes_, she thought. _I used the most potent stuff I could find...  
_ Right in time with her calculations, the lumbering man slumped over a few moments later, his eyes still open, staring at the ceiling. "Thanks for everything, old man," she said mockingly, stepping over him on the way out. "It's been a blast."  
Without looking back, she left her unconscious father in the house and walked westward.  
_Thank god he's such an idiot_, she thought with a laugh. _Letting me out into the forest to find herbs to put on my wounds...It's taken five years, but he finally slipped up. It's a damn good thing I know a thing or two about herbs. He should stay that way for a good two days or so.  
_ Stopping briefly at a pay phone to call the police and direct them to her father's house, she set off in the direction of her old town, fresh cool air in her lungs, free once again.  
  
- - -  
  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha walked into his own house with another dark- haired girl by his side. "Mom, Dad," he said, smiling and slipping an arm around the girl's waist. "This is Kikyo."  
  
- - -  
  
HA!!! I promised a twist too, right? Let's see how Kagome deals with this one... 


	4. Always

Well, I did one chapter's review in math...Out of 4... -grumble- Oh well, the math will just have to wait! XP  
  
Disclaimer: Whoo, I own Inuyasha!!! -wakes up, looks around- Darn, it was just a dream -sigh-  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter 4: Always  
  
When Kagome finally reached the town she had been pulled from five years ago, the first place she headed was, surprisingly, not her own house.  
  
Scaling a trellis with familiarity she hadn't lost over the years, she pulled herself in through Inuyasha's window...And nearly fell back out when she saw him lying in bed, a girl who looked shockingly like her curled up in his arms.  
Inuyasha's ears twitched, picking up Kagome's soft gasp. His eyes drifted slowly open, focusing with bluury eyes on the dark-haired figure in the window. For a moment he thought he was dreaming...Kagome was gone, after all. For good. But...He blinked. "Ka...gome?"  
It was indeed his Kagome, he knew, when she shifted slightly and the light hit her eyes, deep chocolate brown like he remembered, but not filled with her familiar fire, rather filled with a sort of pain he had never seen there before. As the tears welled up in her eyes she turned and slipped back through the window. _I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.  
_ "Kagome!" He said more loudly, his voice and sudden leap from the bed rousing the girl beside him. "Inuyasha?" She said sleepily. "Where are you going?"  
"Stay here, Kikyo," he called over his shoulder as he leaped through the open window after Kagome. "I'll be back soon."  
  
- - -  
  
Kagome ran with all the speed she could muster through the woods surrounding Inuyasha's house, towards the meadow that was so familiar to her. She ran blindly, the headlong flight of an animal seeking refuge from a predator, from the pain that had been inflicted upon it, with no idea where she was heading until she arrived. Finally her legs could take no more, and she collapsed beneath a tree, spent.  
Gasping for breath, she didn't hear Inuyasha approaching until he was upon her. "Kagome...." He said, his voice a mixture of surprise, awe, and stunned happiness. "What are you doing here? I thought I'd never see you again!"  
She snorted. "From what I've seen, you never wanted to." She glared up at him. "You could have at least picked someone who didn't look like my twin sister. Bastard."  
Confusion flashed across his face. "But I thought..." He knelt down beside her. "Kagome, I thought you were gone for good...I thought you were dead." The moon reflected in his amber eyes, giving them an even more animalistic glint as he looked into hers. "If I had known..." He shook his head.  
She looked away. "And how many others have there been, Inuyasha? Did they all look like me?"  
He surprised her by replying, "none. There were none before Kikyo."  
Still she stared off into space, willing the tears not to come. "Do you love her?"  
He blinked. "Love...Kikyo?"  
Her gaze turned back to Inuyasha's, hard and cold. "It's a simple question, Inuyasha. Are you in love with Kikyo?" She asked, her tone matching her gaze in coldness.  
He shook his head. "No. Not with Kikyo."  
"Then who? You said there were no others."  
He sighed. "Aw c'mon, don't make me say it."  
"Say what?" She asked, feigning indifference.  
He grumbled and muttered something under his breath.  
"What's that? You're going to have to speak up." Kagome fought to contain a grin at his embarrassment. _He may be a stupid hanyou, but he's just so cute sometimes!  
_ He sighed and grumbled again, but his eyes slid up to meet hers at last. "You know it's you, Kagome....It's always been you, since we were kids. How could you even think that I'd forget you?"  
"Of course I knew. But I had to make you say it, now didn't I?" She said with an evil grin.  
He sighed. "Of course." He couldn't help smiling, though. Kagome hadn't changed a bit. Whether that was good or bad, however...  
He slipped an arm around her shoulders as they gazed up at the full moon, making the night seem almost as bright as day.  
"Uh oh..." He said a moment later with a gulp. "What am I going to do about Kikyo?"  
  
- - - -cracks up- Hm, I wonder what he's going to do O.o Meh, I'll figure something out :P -trudges off to do another chapter of math review, sigh- 


	5. CATFIGHT! Sorry, couldn't resist :P

-yawn-Meh, so late...-waiting for the stupid site to show the new reviews- lol...Well, I'll give the next chapter a shot...I'm afraid that if I don't finish this fic soon, I'll have a crowd after me carrying torches and pitchforks O.o  
  
Disclaimer: -yawn- Meh, it's too late for clever little disclaimer thingies...Let it suffice to say that the only bit of Inuyasha I own is the pic hanging on my wall next to the computer -drool-  
  
This chapter dedicated to Ayame...Who just saved me a TON of rewriting!! mega glomp You are THE BEST!!  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter 5: CATFIGHT!! Sorry, couldn't resist XP  
  
"What do you mean, there's somebody else!?" Kikyo shrieked at Inuyasha, who winced, resisting the urge to cover his sensitive ears.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"  
"You're SORRY? YOU'RE SORRY!!?? I'll make you sorry!!" She slapped him across the face with all her strength, then stalked out of the room, coming face to face with Kagome on the way, who had been waiting in the hallway.  
"It's you, isn't it?" She asked, her voice still high pitched, tearing through Inuyasha's ears in the next room. "You're the little bitch who showed up out of nowhere and stole him!"  
Kagome winced. "Well I wouldn't say I STOLE him, exactly..."  
Kikyo glared at her. "Really? Then what exactly do you call it when you swoop in and take someone's boyfriend!?"  
Kagome winced again. "I didn't swoop..."  
Kikyo, having had enough of this, wanted to hear no more from this bitch, who, the NERVE of that boy, even looked just like her! Inuyasha walked out into the hallway just in time to see Kagome being thrown against the wall with the force of Kikyo's slap. _Wow, that girl really love slapping people_, he thought with a sigh.  
"Kikyo!" He said angrily, pushing her out of the way. "Kagome, are you ok?"  
She looked up at him, blowing her long dark hair out of her face. The left side of her face was bright red from the force of the blow, but she ignored the pain and climbed to her feet, facing Kikyo, who was wearing a superior smirk in addition to her dark blue flannel pajama pants and pale blue tank top.  
"I have had enough of people hitting me in my life," she spat at the other girl, that familiar fire springing to life in her eyes. "And I have had enough of you. This was Inuyasha's choice, not mine, and from the way you've been acting tonight, I'm frankly not suprised he chose the way he did. So if you want to lay blame anywhere, lay it on yourself!"  
Kikyo sneered. "Blame me for THIS!" She lunged at Kagome again, grabbing her by her shiny black hair, pulling as hard as she could. Kagome yelped at the sudden pain, lashing out with her right foot and kicking Kikyo in the shin.  
"Agh!" She grunted, letting go of her usual so-ladylike-it-hurts routine in favor of a more primal approach, punching Kagome in the stomach.  
Kagome doubled over, the wind knocked out of her by the punch. Kikyo took the opportunity to elbow her unlikely opponent hard in the back, eliciting a gasp from Kagome, who then slumped over against the wall, her strength gone.  
Kikyo smirked in triumph and closed in on the prone figure of Kagome, intent on finishing her off, when Inuyasha cut in front of her, grabbing her tightly around the waist and holding her back. "Kikyo," he hissed, his mouth next to her ear. "Don't."  
She tensed at his touch and his breath on her ear, for a split second her mind flashing back to the way things were before SHE showed up. She sighed and relaxed her muscles, giving in to him. He slowly released her, waiting until he was sure she wouldn't suddenly attack Kagome again, then slipped past her in the narrow hallway towards Kagome.  
"Come on," he said, taking her elbow and steering her down the hallway towards the kitchen, and then out through the front door. Once on his front porch, he stopped, sitting her down on the wooden swing and kneeling down in front of her to inspect her wounds. "I think you'll be okay...You might want to put some ice on that cheek of yours, though," he said, touching it gingerly.  
She shrugged. "It's nowhere near what I've put up with for the past few years."  
He winced. "What happened to your father? Do you think he'll come after you again?" The look in his eye suggested that if he did, he'd have to deal with him.  
She smiled at his concern. She couldn't help thinking his protectiveness was adorable. "I don't have to worry about him anymore...I left him unconscious in his house and called the police before I headed home."  
"Feh," he said, inspecting a cut on her knee that she had gotten when Kikyo had swung her against the wall. "Bastard got what he deserved."  
  
- - -  
  
Later that night Inuyasha lay in bed, once again with a dark-haired girl curled up in the safety of his embrace. This time, though, it wasn't Kikyo who sighed in contentment and snuggled into him before drifting off to sleep, but Kagome, her wounds from before disinfected and bandaged.  
All seemed good in the world again, as it hadn't for so many years. Or so she thought, until she was yanked suddenly from Inuyasha's bed by her long, dark hair, a hand clamped tightly over her mouth before she could scream and alert the hanyou. "Stay quiet, my look-a-like," a voice hissed next to her ear, "and this will go much easier for you."  
  
- - -  
  
Bleh, that sucked. -makes face- Oh well... 


	6. Summer Breezes

Alright...-cracks knuckles- Time to finish this thing! So I can move onto the other 3 little plot bunnies that came bounding into my head around 3 am last night. -sigh- Doing a math final on 3 hours of sleep...Fun, ne? XD  
  
Disclaimer: No, I -STILL- don't own Inuyasha. I'm working on it, I swear!  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter 6: Summer Breezes  
  
Kagome struggled against Kikyo's hold, her eyes wide in shock and fear. She had seen what this girl was capable of, and she was obviously out of her mind with jealousy.  
She nearly screamed a moment later, would have, if Kikyo hadn't had such a tight hand clamped over her mouth, when a small clump of hair was pulled from her head, then thrown onto the bed. _A message to Inuyasha_, She guessed, but Kikyo gave her no time to deliberate, tightening her hold on her replacement, and slipping into the night.  
  
- - -  
  
A roar could be heard emanating from Inuyasha's room several hours later as he woke to find Kagome missing, her hair the only part left of her. He picked it up, holding the silky strands next to his nose and sniffing them, inhaling Kagome's familiar scent. _This reeks of Kikyo too_, he thought, his eyes flashing with anger. As if Kagome hadn't been through enough in her life already, she now had to deal with his psychotic ex girlfriend? He sighed, lowering his nose to the floor and following the trail of scent left by Kikyo.  
  
- - -  
  
Several hours later, he finally came to a small, almost obscurely hidden cave in the nearby mountains. He poked his head in gingerly, knowing even better than Kagome exactly what this girl was capable of when she was pissed. And she was definitely pissed.  
"Ah, Inuyasha," Kikyo's deceptively smooth and calm voice said. "I was beginning to wonder if you would come for her at all."  
The minimal amount of caution he had to begin with was swept away by anger, blinding him to the danger. He stormed inside, to see Kagome tied helplessly to a chair, her hair falling in her wide begging eyes. Begging him for help he was not sure he could provide, with Kikyo standing over her, holding a long, wickedly sharp blade.  
"Kikyo," he said slowly, circling the pair. Though he had never been known for his tact, he was intelligent enough to realize that if he didn't handle this situation delicately, Kagome's life could be the cost.  
"Yes, my koibito?" She purred.  
He winced inwardly at her referring to him as her lover, but did his best not to let it show. For now he would do best to play along with the charade she seemed to have built for herself.  
"Put down the knife," he said soothingly.  
She laughed, a cruel sound empty of mirth, a sound that held only death. It was as if she had become a completely different person. He had known that she was an extremely jealous and possessive person, of course, but to take it to this level? It was as if part of her had died, the part he had once thought he loved. The sparkle was gone from her eyes, now containing only the dark, dull sheen of despair.  
"Do you really think me that stupid?" She said, the scorn evident in her voice. "Come now, Inuyasha, you know me better than that. Better than this." She spat on Kagome, who shot a glare her way but could do no more with her hands tied behind her back and her legs anchored firmly to the legs of the chair.  
Inuyasha's ears began to twitch in irritation at this, but he could not let Kikyo see his displeasure. He had to trick her into thinking that he was on her side. He only hoped Kagome would understand that the opposite was true.  
"You're right, Kikyo," he said softly. Kagome's head snapped up at his words, staring into his eyes, chocolate brown betrayal searing through him. _Kagome_, he thought, _I want more than anything to tell you that it's a trick...But for now, I must keep going with this, for your sake.  
_ "I do know you better. And you are the only one I want to know. Please, forgive me," he said through gritted teeth. Apologizing to anyone was definitely out of character for him. "I see now how wrong I was." He felt as if he would explode with the effort of keeping this up, when the only thing he wanted to do was get the insane bitch out of there and tell Kagome that he had been deceiving Kikyo to save her life.  
Kagome just looked away, the hurt and resignation clear in her eyes. _I should have known that this would happen_, she thought_. Things are just not meant to work out for me._ She had thought Inuyasha was different, though, the one person who would never do this to her. _Shows what a great judge of character I am.  
_ Kikyo seemed to hover on the edge of dropping the knife, but her eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you," she said, her voice practically dripping acid. "I've seen the way you look at her. You've never looked at me that way, not ever. Not even before she came. You never loved me, did you, Inuyasha?" The look in her eyes was almost plaintive, begging him to tell her she was wrong. She had herself so deluded that she was almost certain he would.  
He paused. What could he say? He could not tell Kikyo he loved her, never. _It's for Kagome_, he reminded himself. But it would nearly kill her to hear those words pour from his mouth, it would nearly kill him just to say them.  
Kikyo, tiring of his indecision, raised the knife. "It's now or never, Inuyasha!" She cried. "Me or the look-a-like bitch, make your choice now or I will make it for you!"  
He hesitated for a split second, then leaped towards Kikyo to stop her. Time seemed to slow as he moved through the air, his eyes going wide as he realized he would be seconds too late. Time zoomed back to normal speed, he was close, so close...Just a few more inches and he would have her...  
Kikyo crashed to the floor, Inuyasha on top of her, their movements causing the chair Kagome was tied to to fall over, breaking into a hundred shards of broken wood. He looked down at Kikyo, his heart stopping dead in his chest as he lifted both her hands, empty.  
His heart resumed it's beating, pounding so hard in his chest he thought it would burst through his flesh, he slowly turned, his eyes falling on Kagome, slumped forward on the ground. He gathered her into his arms, tears spilling from his eyes as her blood stained his silver hair crimson. The knife handle stuck straight up from her chest, plunged in so far by Kikyo's desperate stab that it nearly came out the other side.  
The world seemed to be coming to an end as he held her, rocking slowly back and forth, crying, as she bled to death in his arms. He paid no mind as Kikyo slipped out of the cave, her jealousy sated. Nothing existed to him anymore but Kagome. Himself, and Kagome, and the blood, so much blood. Everywhere. _A person can't possibly hold that much blood_, he thought dully, his mind unable to focus on anything. Everything was fading...Fading....So slowly, fading to nothingness...As his world was now...Nothingness.  
  
- - -  
  
Inuyasha stood a short distance away from Kagome's family as they huddled around the grave, the coffin being slowly lowered as they watched, every one in attendance crying but Inuyasha. He had cried all the tears he had to cry already, now everything was simply numb. Pleasantly numb, really. It had been such a relief when the pain, cutting into him like a thousand shards of his formerly happy life, had faded to a dull ache. He thought of nothing anymore. Everything was dark...  
Slowly lowering himself down against a tree, he absently picked a dandelion, blowing softly on it, scattering the seeds to the wind. _Summer's coming_, he thought._ I wish you were here to see it.  
_  
- - -  
  
Hm...Wonder what kind of reviews I'm going to get about THAT? O.o This should be interesting XD Sorry, I know it's kind of tragic...-sniffle- But it's kind of what makes it good, ne? Heh...I promise my next fic will have a happier ending! Hm...Bright Lights maybe...-spaces out- We'll see! :P  
  
-Kris appears out of nowhere-

**Kita:**O.o Uhh, hi? How'd you like the fic? :P

**Kris:** Hn. Not yaoi.

**Kita:** -grumble- I'm WORKING on it...Besides, one of the girls died! Helps, ne?

**Kris:** Hm...-uses tornado and funnel to suck Kikyo into a bottle, slaps a label reading "Bottled ex-girlfriend" on it- There. Now I like the fic.

**Kita:** O.o Eep. -runs off to work on yaoi before he bottles her too-


End file.
